Scholarly Articles
Kim, M., Kim, H. J., Hong, S., & Fredriksen-Goldsen, K. I. (2013). Health disparities among childrearing women with disabilities. Maternal and Child Health Journal , 17 (7), 1260-1268. DOI: 10.1007/s10995-012-1118-4
Wahlen, R., Bize, R., Wang, J., Merglen, A., & Ambresin, A. E. (2020). Medical students’ knowledge of and attitudes towards LGBT people and their health care needs: Impact of a lecture on LGBT health. PloS one , 15 (7), e0234743. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234743
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Liang, J., Matheson, B. E., & Douglas, J. M. (2016). Mental health diagnostic considerations in racial/ethnic minority youth. Journal of Child and Family Studies , 25 (6), 1926-1940. DOI:10.1007/s10826-015-0351-z
Videos
BBC Newsnight (July 2017). Why do so many LGBT people suffer from mental health problems? - BBC Newsnight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnUqDjCqg0A
The Independent (April 2017). Disability cuts: People with mental health problems left behind as benefit changes take effect https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVJ8c_AXdOo
We are mitú (July 2018). What’s the Deal with Latinos NOT Talking about MENTAL HEALTH? | The Kat Call S3 – mitú https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGBOhQJ9qvY
FUSION (October 2016). Ending Healthcare Discrimination. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saerfbqIibo
AJ, (November 2015). If you're Not White, it's Harder to Get Mental Health Care. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgNaqfGTysU
Other Articles
Moreau, J. (2020). Early care leads to better mental health for transgender youths, study finds. NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/early-care-leads-better-mental-health-transgender-youths-study-finds-n1241289
Chanda, S. (2020). Disability during COVID-19: Increasing Vulnerability and Neglect. Economic and Political Weekly https://www.epw.in/journal/2020/39/perspectives/disability-during-covid-19.html
Search Process
The search process was extremely difficult and tiresome. Locating credible resources and sources on the internet is not an easy task. I have realized that the internet is full of materials, but getting the best to use can be an involving task. The entire process to locate the sources took me about six hours of thorough searching. I used search engines such as proquest.com and Google Scholar for the sources. Proquest.com was particularly effective for scholarly sources. I also found one reference from Google Scholar. I located most of the video materials from YouTube. Here, I searched the keywords on my Chrome browser and went directly to the video section. Some of the keywords used include health disparity, racial inequality in health, minority health, health marginalization, and health discrimination. I started with terms such as LGBT, disability, queer, and BIPOC. However, I realized that the search results were unrelated to what I wanted. Therefore, I realized that using these terms on their own would not give me the search outcomes I wanted. I reverted to the use of the Boolean search strategy as it allowed me to combine different words and terminologies. I also realized that getting resources for BIPOC and disabled people is easier than for LGBT. Particularly, getting credible resources addressing the Trans community was significantly difficult.
On the contrary, I found it easy to locate information on African Americans and Hispanics. Many authors have devoted their research and studies on the experiences that these segments of the population have regarding health. I was also keen on looking at resources where the speaker or the author was from the specific marginalized community. I believed that doing so would help me find the most credible and authentic resources due to the ethos involved. However, this was only possible for videos. Regarding the scholarly articles and news sources, I tried but eventually gave up after the work became difficult than I anticipated. Searching the newspaper articles was the easiest of all. I only had to type the search words and proceeded to the news section on my browser. I managed to access some of the latest news articles on my area of concern. I believe that I managed to take six hours because of the change in strategy. Had I stuck to my original plan, this process could have taken longer.
Précis
Kim, M., Kim, H.-J., Hong, S., & Fredriksen-Goldsen, K. I. (2012). Health Disparities among Childrearing Women with Disabilities. Maternal and Child Health Journal. https://sci-hub.st/10.1007/s10995-012-1118-4
People living with a disability are among the most marginalized groups in the United States. The problems become more complicated when the affected individual is an expectant woman. Promotion of health for women and people living with a disability is among the most fundamental objectives of Healthy People 2020. The authors summarized a research study that indicates that approximately 19% of the US population has a particular form of disability. They continue by intimating that persons living with a disability are among the most underserved persons in terms of healthcare. The number of childbearing women with a disability has also continued to increase in the country. However, the various levels of government have done little to address this critical issue. Compared to the general population, women living with disabilities face significant social and economic problems. The health concerns affecting this population are also high. As illustrated by the authors, "Research indicates that women with disabilities have heightened risks of chronic disease, mental health problems, substance abuse and other risky health behaviors including smoking and excessive drinking” (p.1261). Therefore, this places them at an increased risk of morbidity and mortality.
The article further reveals that people living with disabilities are prone to secondary and preventable health conditions. Some common examples include sleep problems, obesity, fatigue, joint pain, muscle pain, and mental disorders. Childbearing women living with disabilities face more adverse health risks than their able counterparts. More so, they suffer from social problems such as isolation and discrimination that could have a negative impact on their mental well-being. The difficulties experienced by these women have a holistic effect as it trickles down to the children and family members. Therefore, the authors contend that reducing health disparity among childbearing women with disabilities is important not only to the individual but also to the family. However, the authors reveal that health issues related to childbearing women with disabilities have rarely been featured in literature and research studies. Fundamental aspects such as prevalence, morbidity, and mortality of this population miss in literature studies. Researchers are therefore challenged to work and ensure that the interests of childbearing women with disabilities feature in their publications. Public health officials must understand and appreciate these health disparities and work towards their reduction.
AHA Moment
I can best describe this assignment as an eye-opening venture for me. Without this exercise, I would not have understood the healthcare problems minorities face and marginalized communities in America. The information acquired here has opened a new sphere of the world that I did not know about. For instance, the article Health Disparities among Childrearing Women with Disabilities has enabled me to appreciate health difficulties facing a unique demographic in society. People forget that women with a disability also bear children and go through the nine-month gestational period. I learned the challenges these people face and the impact that researchers and public health officials can mitigate their disparity issues. The videos particularly engaged me because most of them were told from the point of view of the persons affected. For instance, in the video Why Do So Many LGBT People Suffer From Mental Health Problems? It becomes apparent that LGBT people are prone to mental health problems due to stigma and discrimination. Through this, I understood that mental health has a strong connection with social factors. I can use this knowledge to enlighten people against discriminating minority populations, which have implications on their health and well-being.
The interaction with the news article was special for me. It allowed me to assess my topic from a current perspective. For instance, the news article Disability during COVID-19: Increasing Vulnerability and Neglect pays assesses disabled people's problems from the context of the ongoing pandemic. I have realized that most marginalized communities face additional challenges during times of crisis. I believe that this knowledge will help me advocate on behalf of such populations to ensure that the government acts swiftly to resolve their problems. Failure to do so further adds problems due to their already compromised health hence widening the existential disparities.
Analysis or Evaluation
From a general perspective, the discussion has illuminated the several difficulties experienced by people with disabilities, LGBT, and BIPOC in their quest to access education. The various documentations have shown that these individuals are disproportionally affected by healthcare leading to disparities. The analysis by Kim, Kim, Hong, & Fredriksen-Goldsen (2012) regarding childbearing women with disabilities is an effective way of shedding information on marginalized communities' troubles. The author uses logical arguments to statistically represent people living with disabilities and their problems. For instance, 19% of Americans have some form of disabilities. They further argue that childbearing women with disabilities face extra issues such as discrimination and isolation that contributes to their health. Another strength associated with the article is its ability to identify gaps in the literature. The authors recognize that researchers have done a poor job in representation issues around childbearing women living with disabilities.
The videos have done a tremendous job in contextualizing the issues and establishing ethos through first-person narration. For example, the video What’s The Deal with Latinos NOT Talking About MENTAL Health? Provides significant answers as to why Latinos choose to remain silent about their mental health. From the point of view of a Latino, the audience can learn that this is a cultural and social issue affecting health. Mental health problems in society are depicted as weaknesses hence the silence and the decision to suffer alone. The assessment also pays close attention to underserved communities and solutions they need to correct their health problems. The news article Early Care Leads to Better Mental Health for Transgender Youths enlightens the readers on the solutions to the health problems faced by transgender communities. Therefore, these articles focus on not only the problem but also the solution. It gives implications for the future and emphasizes the value of closing the disparity gaps witnessed in society.
